What is the worst part about being a BJD collector/owner?

Cost and criticism. They are expensive and also I don't know anyone in the hobby so at times it does get lonely when people tell you to grow up or tell you you're too old for dolls.

 

Money. Money. Money.

I always find a new doll that I want, and end up feeling guilty because I know that if I save up to buy a new doll, I won't be able to buy my current dolls new clothes/props/etc.

Also, clothes and shoes. Finding the right sizes is a pain.

 

As most other people have said, money. The dolls and the clothes and the accessories are costly. The wait as well. When I see the perfect accessory, or article of clothing, or those must have shoes...waiting for them to be shipped - especially if it's coming from overseas - is a downer. I want that item now so I can have fun dressing them (and hopefully it fits)

 

Putting on eyelashes!! Just did that to two of my dolls the other day, and it's a major pain in the butt.
Money too, of course, but I respect that the artists need to take the price they do; a lot of work go into making the dolls, and the materials are also quite costly. Plus, it's kinda nice having something you know have been put a lot of love into, rather than mass-produced, cheap Barbie-dolls (not that there's anything wrong with Barbie-dolls, no offense intended.).
Eyelashes, on the other hand, shouldn't need to be so hard to put on, so I say that's the worst part of the hobby

 

painting your dolls.
not only is it hard to do a beautiful faceup, it also takes lots of time and you can't do it whenever you have free time! you have to wait for the weather to be good =__=;;

 

personaly i give a squat about what people may think of my doll, they make me happy and me "alone"
the worse part for me is the MONEY!!! lol yes, they cost a lot and unfortunately the wish list keeps growing.....hurtful really T_T

 

For me, I'd say the cost is the real downer. Followed by loving limited editions. But I've always been a frugal person, so spending 500$ on -anything- that isn't a necessity rubs me the wrong way.
I am also still making peace with the fact that I've taken an interest in not only an expensive hobby, but an expensive hobby that gets me weird looks when I talk about it. But I have a feeling I'll get over that soon enough- I did with my hermit crabs! (I have 3 different species, totaling 19 hermit crabs, in a 50 gallon tank! Doesn't sound like your average hobbyist pet, does it? Lol)

 

how cute!!!!! XD

 

Definitely cost for me. I'm on a budget and Hate trying to save. I'm also not fond of the wait for new dollies. Luckily for me, I'm not picky about my dolls coming secondhand.

 

I'm a new doll owner, and just finding sculpts I like is such a huge problem. Most of the time when I find a doll I like, the pictures on the website would be terrible, nothing but a few grainy shots of cross-eyed dolls with wigs obscuring half their faces. It's even worse when the website won't work, I've come across that a few times! And if they have a weird name like An? forget trying to google search a name like that! *rant over*

Also, I have a problem with falling in love with LEs. the Lotus Near was one of the first dolls I ever really liked, just because it was so wildly beautiful. I know all I can do is keep a little extra in my bank account and jump if there is ever a chance to get one.

But really, I don't see many negatives to this hobby!

 

For me its the cost the price of the dolls makes it take forever to save up for one and another thing that sucks is the waiting.

 

I've seen this thread a lot, but I never knew what to post because there are a lot of things that bug me--but not really one thing I could pinpoint.

I hate how expensive the hobby is, how all the dolls I seem to want are limited or yet to be released and thus hard to plan around, how dolls yellow/green and how tan skins and other options are rare, how every size per company one or two generic body sculpts, how picky I am and how most of the dolls available aren't my taste at all, etc., etc..

But, and I'm still not sure this really is the WORST part of the hobby for me, I noticed that one of the most frustrating aspects is that I can't shop for this hobby in person. I can't walk into a mall and aimlessly go through a clothing store for my BJD, or visit different BJD company's buildings and look through their stuff XD . I do have a doll store 'near' me, about thirty minutes, which is nice, but the selection is obviously limited. This is very visual and tactile hobby, and for me, for every part of a doll, it's important how it is in real life.

A wig's color, it's fit, the feel of the fibers and how easy it is to maintain, whether it has any issues like thin spots, is all hard to determine by just a photo. How eyes will look in real life, the color, the shine and how it fills my doll's eyewells, are all often unreliable when buying online. Shoes may look nice in photos, and still look the same IRL, but do they feel good? Is the material high-quality, and are the soles solid and weighty? Et cetera, and so on, and so forth.

I'm paying for it in the end with a bunch of stuff I'm not too fond of, and finally just trying to get rid of most of it! I feel like whenever I buy something for a doll, there's an 80% chance it won't work and will either rot in a box unused or be traded/sold. Gaahhh it's quite frustrating. XD

ali

 

Okay for me the single most annoying part of being a BJD collector right now is THE WAIT!

Being so caught up with a doll but having to wait months on end for it to arrive is just driving me crazy right now.

Everyone else seems to have put money and at the moment that isn't as big an issue for me as it has been in the past (it will be again next year though). Trying to stop myself from buying more dolls whilst waiting for the ones I have already ordered is my biggest problem right now. I have officially called an end to purchasing more dolls for the rest of the year.

Also, for me trying to coordinate the time to do face-ups, clothing, millinery and doll-making around homeschooling my children and running our farm. I'm trying but I feel like I'm losing the battle right now.

 

When they drain my pocket book.

 

This is the nail on the head! I accept that the dolls are expensive and that they take awhile (even if I hate it) but I loath buying stuff online! Thinking about starting a business myself selling doll clothes offline one day.....too much red tape to run a business though.

 

I have to agree with the above. I don't like having to buy stuff online without being able to see it and touch it before hand.

 

Agreed with the majority: it's the price. Also agreed with not being able to shop in person, though I'm lucky because my girls can usually get away with Liv/barbie/other walmart doll clothes in a pinch, plus sock clothes are easy, so I've only recently bought some clothes specifically for bjd, and they fit wonderfully.

It's also pretty frustrating for me to be in a fairly sparse bjd region... I would have to drive 2+ hours to get to a meet-up, so I haven't seen any but my own dolls in person. I'd really like to see some other styles and sizes in person, so I'm hoping to be able to make it to at least one doll meet or convention in the next year, but being in school and not having my own car, it's difficult...

 

Agreed....I don't have a car either (or a license. don't feel like getting one) and meets are few and far between in this area. (I'm only 5 minutes from CT btw)

 

The cost of the dolls is a given. And the one thing (prop/shoes/wig/etc) that you want is always sold out.

 

Personally I think it will be the cost involve in owning one, and also the danger of falling into this obsessive addiction that keeps you buying more and more dolls/clothes/accessories. It just keeps growing, and unless you have some amazing determination, there will probably not be any "my last doll" and in turn more accessories. It's a vicious cycle